My “boss” thought people would like to know about this, so at his request, I bring to the readers a post about how to prep cards to be signed for in-person (IP) and/or through-the-mail (TTM) autographs.

The first thing is what type of cards to use to be autographed. I personally will stick with base, and low-end inserts/parallel cards. Some people prefer to get numbered cards autographed and I’ve even seen some get jersey cards or 1/1 press plates signed. Really, it’s what the specific collector wants signed, but if you were to ask me, I’d stick with lower-end cards.

The next question you may ask is, “is there anything I need to do to prepare the cards to be signed”? The answer to that question would be yes, depending on the card being used. If the card has a non-glossy surface (think of cards like Heritage, Allen & Ginter, etc), then you don’t need to do anything to prepare the cards, however if you use a card that is glossy, it does need to be prepared.

There are two ways you can prepare a card to be signed. The first option is you can baby powder to take off the gloss. Just sprinkle a little bit of baby powder on the card, spread it around so it covers the entire card. After you’ve done that, use either a paper towel, or Kleenex to remove the baby powder. This method can be more time consuming and messy, but it also does a really good job removing the gloss on a card.

The second way that you can prepare a glossy card is to use a white eraser. This is the method that I use now as it’s a quicker, and more efficient way for me to prepare my cards to be signed. I just erase the entire card and it takes the gloss right off. Depending on the card you use and the type of eraser, it may streak the card, but this is rare for the most part.

So there you have it. Hopefully if getting autographs signed TTM or IP was of interest to you, this information has helped!

Panini Prizm has been a hit across the board from it’s origins in basketball, through football, and now making its debut in baseball. The product is most similar to the “Chrome” style cards put out by Topps but it has its own Panini twist to them. With the product being a big hit every time it has been released, it will surely be a Panini staple for years to come. Want to see what is in your typical box this year? Check out this review.

Design:

The design on this product is a design style that will last a long time for this product. The look of the etchings throughout the cards is something you normally only see in another specific product that is a bit similar. The same with the coating, although I much prefer this coating than that of the competitors. It doesn’t smell, it doesn’t warp the cards to bending (at least not yet) and it has a much smoother, almost glass like feel to them. The design is practically flawless. My only issue is that it is possibly TOO shiny or reflective. It’s really a spectacular level of reflectiveness on the product. But the “Prizms” as they call it, “Prizmatics” for myself, are beautiful all the way from the regulars to the golds. Bravo. I also love the insertion of Elite Extra Edition and that design looks great as well.

Checklist:

Sets like this, with a large base set, a product with many base cards per box, all have the same things in common. They always feature rookies, stars, and Hall of Famers. When it comes to Panini, they usually find room for everyone a collector would want in a set. This is no different. It is full of your top rookies from 2012 along with your top players in the game today and Hall of Famers. I also love the addition of the Team USA license which doesn’t need to be airbrushed. The autograph checklist is actually pretty decent too. Overall, fantastic.

Value:

Right now, you can buy a box of this product for $82 at DA Card World. That is actually a pretty good deal for what you get in the product. A couple autographs, some “prizms” and the possibility for a gold/black prizm. There is one thing I keep recommending for this product, and that is to add one or two more levels of “prizms” numbered a little higher. Maybe something numbered to 50 and something numbered to 100. That’s it. I find Topps has too many levels, and I think collectors would like a couple other levels (hobby) that are a bit easier to attain, but not overwhelming for player collectors. And keep a retail version like is out now.

Overall:

Overall, this is a well deserved score for this product. Collectors don’t really care too much about the lack of logos when a product is built this well. I think the design is great, but a few minor tweaks could make it superb and perfect. The checklist is fantastic as well with current players, future players, and former players. The value is pretty decent right now as well, but I think with a couple suggestions could put it over the top as one of the better “base” based products out there.

This has turned into one of my personal favorites, and Topps is reintroducing it to Football with the release of 2013 Topps Archives.

The first thing collectors should be on the lookout are the Fan Favorite Autographs. These will be signed on-card and feature up to 75 different players from you favorite franchise players.

Another set to look out for are the Topps Originals Autographs. Up to 10 of the biggest stars in the NFL will sign an original card and these cards will be numbered to 10. A set that is interesting is the Autographed USFL Buybacks. Up to 10 players will sign original cards from the 1980s and these will be numbered to 10.

My favorite Autograph set would have to be the Framed Autographs 1988 Minis. Up to 25 players will be in this set from the 1988 designed cards. These will be numbered to 25.

Each box contains 24 packs with 8 cards per pack. In each box, it will contain 2 autograph card per box.

The NBA Playoffs are here which means the close of the NBA season is approaching. That also means we are shifting into more of the high end basketball products from Panini sure to make the season even more memorable. Panini Preferred is out again this year, bringing it’s high end mark with “just the hits”. Does it stack up compared to last year? Let’s see what the product brings this year…

Design:

This design does not have any central theme. It also changed extremely little from the last installment of the product. But it continues to work for a couple reasons. The first is there isn’t a saturation of that design in the product. When you see the same cards over and over again in a product, you don’t want to see the same design next year. It also works because these designs are tweaked very lightly. It isn’t the same exact card, except for maybe Panini’s Choice, but there are small enough changes to keep it interesting. Small tweaks every year in a product like this may be what this product is known for, and I don’t really mind that.

Checklist:

The checklist this year is not nearly as good as last time the product came out. The last product was low on rookies because of the restraints and also higher on veterans and retired players. This one had the double rookie class so you knew you were going to get more than one rookie autograph in the product. That said, the names in the booklets are always solid and continuing with a strictly veteran subset is a nice touch. I think it can even out more next year without alll the rookies you need to pack into the product.

Value:

Right now this product is sitting at $190 over at DA Card World. Because of the abundance of rookies this year in the product, I think it is sitting a little too high for a four hit product. It is a high risk/high reward product. Many people are opposed to product this expensive for no base cards, and I disagree with that. How much are base cards worth anyway on the secondary market? One of the benefits this year was every card, except the booklet, was numbered very low. Like 25 and under low. That was a good thing for my particular box, including the awesome patch autograph. While it may not be a top star, that card would bring in some good money because of the quality of the patch.

Overall:

Overall the product took a small step back after the last installment because of the checklist. The double rookie class has taken away from a bit of the content in many products this season if you aren’t totally into just rookie autographs. With that in mind, the designs, while not themed, are still great to look at. The value is mostly dependant on the checklist and what you pull in the box. This is a high risk/high reward product. I think my box would be about average for the product. The low print runs help a bit, but I’ll be happy when the double rookie class thing is done. Then I get to look forward to all the rookie autographs in hockey…

Another Panini Basketball product is on it’s way out, and this time, they bring us 2012-13 Panini Momentum.

The first thing collectors should be looking for in Panini Momentum are the Momentus Rookie Autographs. These cards will feature the best rookies from the 2011 and 2012 drafts. Another autograph set to look for are the Momentum Autographs. This set has a very clean look and will feature some of the leagues most talented players.

A third Autograph set that collectors may find interesting are the Monumental Marks. This set will feature some of the best players from the present as well as the past. It’s also important to note that there will be a 300 base set featuring 85 of the best rookies.

Each box contains 1 pack with 15 cards per pack. In each box, it will contain 5 autograph cards per box.